RABBI NEHEMIAH BEN ABRAHAM MOTTA OR NAMIA MOTTA (d. 1615) AND HIS TOMB IN MATTANCHERRY (COCHIN)

September 2019 

Where can you find a Jewish tomb revered by Christians, Muslims and Hindus other than in India? In 2011, the first time when I saw a large tomb with conspicuous Hebrew inscriptions, I was actually shocked to find such a monument standing alone in a highly unexpected place- deep inside a very congested and dense non-Jewish residential colony. The tomb belongs to a 16th century Jewish mystic by the name 'Nehemiah ben Abraham Motta', locally known as 'Namia Motta'. Sometime after his death, legends and myths started to build around his name and he was eventually transformed into a miracle worker, a multi-religious saint and to some (non-Jews) even a village-deity.

I) Who was Nehemiah Motta?

He is the patron saint of the Malabari Jews, his death anniversary in the first day of Hanukkah i.e. 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev (Hanukkah is a Jewish festival celebrated for 8 days, generally coincides with the month of December) is still celebrated in Israel by the former community members. However, the historicity of this mysterious figure is not very well ascertained. It is generally believed that Nehemiah Motta was from Yemen, who came to Cochin to teach Torah and Halakkah (Jewish Law). There is also a tradition that he decided to flee to Cochin where a prosperous Jewish community existed in contact with Yemenite Jewry for centuries, as their own community had restricted religious freedom under the harsh and stringent Islamic rulers of Yemen. In either case, he was warmly welcomed and accepted by the Cochin Jewish community, where he remained and served them until his death. Other places such as Iraq, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Poland Turkey etc. have also been suggested for Motta's origin, but his Yemenite ancestry is widely accepted. Unlike the newcomers from Europe and Western Asia, who preferred to join the prosperous Paradesi Jewish community, Nehemiah Motta married a Malabari Jewess and settled in Cochin-an action unheard at that time [Segal, J. B., 1993, p. 28]. Marcia Walerstein (2006) compiles different traditions that say Nehemiah Motta taught at Ernakulam (not Cochin) and his wife was from Parur where he spent much of his life, but they had no children, and he died at the young age of 35 or 45. His father is addressed as "Rav (Rabbi) and teacher, wise and beloved Abraham Muta" in the epitaph. He was said to have a sister named Saidi, who contributed generously to the construction of the Paradesi synagogue (1568), but she was considered to be a native of Turkey (Nathan Katz, 2000, p. 53). Segal J B (1993, p. 31) identifies her as Sidi Moti, the wife of Paradesi Jewish leader (the 3rd Mudaliar) Samuel Castiel, who (she) bore most of the expenses of the synagogue, but does not connect her with Nehemiah Motta. Naftali Bar Giora (1958, p. 226) on the other hand, identifies Nehemiah Motta as the member of her family from Turkey, he also does not mention the sibling relationship. Adding more to the twist, Bar Giora suggests that she contributed towards the rebuilding of the Paradesi synagogue after it was destroyed partially by the Portuguese in 1662, that is almost a century after the synagogue was built! Another interesting incident connected to Motta's life is associated with one of the earliest interaction between the Cochin Jews and the Western World. Somewhere between 1560 and 1568, an anonymous writer sympathetic to the Malabari Jews wrote an appealing letter to Rabbi Jacob de Castro (Mahariqash, d. 1610) in Egypt; Hallegua, E. I. (1907, p. 24) and  Segal J. B. (1993, p. 26) suggest a possibility that this Hebrew letter was written by Nehemiah Motta himself.

Besides a Bible scholar and a mystic, Nehemiah Motta was best known as Cochin's most famous religious Hebrew poet.  His works have become integral part of their liturgy. In "Shingly Machazhor (Prayer Book)" of Cochin Jews (the book of special prayer services and songs used during high holidays) many of his songs were published. It is not clear in which edition these songs were published for the first time. David Sassoon (1932, p. 547) notes that several poems in the prayer book of the Cochin Jews, edited by Ezekiel Rahabi, Amsterdam, 1769 (i.e the second edition) were written by Nehemiah Motta. Simon A. I. (1947, p. 14) supports David Sassoon's opinion and gives a more specific estimate when he wrote "several piyyuthim (songs) numbering about 40 composed by Nehemia Ben Abraham" appeared for the first time in the 1769 edition. However, according to Nathan Katz (2000, p. 53), 20 of Motta's songs appeared initially in the first edition (1757) of Shingly Machazhor (Prayer Book) which for unknown reasons were absent in the second edition (1769). Ruby Daniel (2001, p.146) remembers the hymn, "Norah"-the song that was sung in Cochin during Yom Kippur services; which according to her was composed by Nehemiah Motta after his beloved teacher, a Paradesi Jew passed away. Marcia Walerstein (2006) shares an interesting information regarding the origin of Motta's hymns; many of them including the ones used for Yom Kippur and Rosh ha-Shana services was said to be composed from a jail in Parur when he was imprisoned for some minor infringement of the law. Likewise, the term "Kolas" used by the Cochin Jews for their hymns was in fact coined by Motta himself. Six of Motta's hymns including one for blowing the shofar during high holidays (Yom Kippur and Rosh ha-Shana) are listed in Israel Davidson's Magnum Opus, "Thesaurus of Mediaeval Hebrew Poetry"-an impressive catalogue of over 35,000 Hebrew Poems by 2483 authors "From the time of the signing of the Bible to the beginning of the Enlightenment" (originally published in 4 volumes from 1924 to 1933. see Volume 3 and Volume 4 for Motta's hymns-details appended in the Reference section). At the time of Purim festival, while the text of Esther (Megillat Esther) was read, the Jews of Cochin used special blessings (along with the traditional three) composed by Nehemiah Motta (Nathan Katz and Ellen S. Goldberg, 2005, p. 51).

Prem Doss Swamy Doss Yehudi (1990, p. 133) writes that Motta was responsible for a great stir in the community that led some to describe him a pseudo-Messiah. Yehudi comes to this conclusion based on a vague reference in the 1906 edition of the Jewish Encyclopedia about Nehemiah Motta: "Among the Blacks there are no Kohanim or Levites, so that they hire impoverished White Jews of the tribe of Levi and of the family of Aaron on the occasions when their presence is necessary. In 1615 a false Messiah appeared among the Jews of Cochin (Schudt, "Jüdische Merekwürdigkeiten," i. 42).cause)" (see the full article here). We don't know what prompted Schudt to describe Nehemiah Motta a pseudo-Messiah, but this citation is considered the earliest reference in English to the mystic. The South African Chief Rabbi, Louis Rabinowitz who visited Cochin in 1952 and published his travelogue "Far East Mission", dismisses the inference made by Schudt based on the "commendably restrained language" used in Motta's epitaph, and wrote  "his grave is a Mecca not only for Jews, but for Hindus and Christians...and is regarded by the Cochin Jews as one of their saints". It is noteworthy here to mention that compared to a normal tombstone in Cochin that includes a basic biography of the deceased, the Hebrew inscriptions on the ornate gravestone of Nehemiah Motta showers him with praises by adding the following titles: "Famous Kabbalist", "Light of Learning", "Perfect Sage", "Hassid", "God Fearing", "Dear Rabbi" and "Our Master". He was definitely a celebrity whose ability to teach Torah and write poems were much appreciated. 

II) The Etymology of Namia Motta or Namya Motha

The name Namia doesn't appear very Jewish, since it is the Malayalam version of Hebrew name Nehemiah (נחמיה)-not an easy word to pronounce for an average Malayali Jew. The other word Motta is derived from the Malayalam "Moothan" (മൂത്ത൯, an old man) or "Mootha" (മൂത്ത, aged or elderly). Marcia Walerstein (2006) traces Motta families in Spain, Italy and Yemen, but claims that the surname "Nehemiah" was rarely used in Yemen, instead it was a popular name among the Iraqi and Malabari Jews. She also adds that no one in Cochin has a family name "Motta" nor anyone claims him as an ancestor, probably an indirect evidence to support the legend that he died childless. You can still find Jewish tombstones in Kerala with the name "Nehemiah" coming up frequently. 

III) The Hebrew Tombstone Inscription and the date of Nehemiah Motta's death. 

The above photograph of the epitaph on the left was taken on October 14, 2019 and at the right, I have given the Hebrew inscription exactly as it appears on the tombstone. The fairly written stylized Hebrew inscription is engraved in 11 lines and the epitaph basically celebrates Nehemiah Motta's virtues and character, however, apart from the date of his death and father's name, no other personal information are supplied such as his place of origin, date of birth, age or whether he had a family. The lines 1 to 5 honour his virtues; 6 and 7 has the names Nehemiah and Abraham Motta (highlighted in red bold letters); and 8 to 11 are about the date of his death. More specifically, the day, week and month are noted in the 9th line, and the year of his death is given in the 10th line.

The earliest reference to the tomb inscription is perhaps in Hayyim Jacob haCohen Feinstein's 'Mashbit Milhamot' (1889, p. 154, originally published in 1874). Later, David Solomon Sassoon (1932) [Ohel Dawid, Vol 1, p. 547] and Naftali Bar-Giora (1953) [Ma'aseh b'Hodu, p. 27] provide the inscription with slight modifications. I am attaching all the versions in order to have a better comparison with the original Hebrew inscription on the tombstone. 

In the original inscription, the word "המפורסם" (=famous) lacks the final letter "ם" in line 2; and "לחודש" (=month) misses the letter "ו" in line 9. The word "הייו" (=his life) in line 8 of the tombstone is "היים" (=life) in all three modern versions. The first word "סֹקֹ" in the 3rd line of the original inscription is an abbreviation for "סבא קדישא" (=perfect sage). Jacob haCohen follows the original inscription without expansion, David Sassoon has the expanded version only, and Naftali Bar-Giora gives both the abbreviated and the full expanded forms. In line 9, the week, the day and the month of the death is given-the literal translation for "ביום אֹ כֹהֹ לחודש כסליו" would be "On Sunday the 25th of the month of Kislev" [יום=day;  אֹ=first day of the week, i.e. Sunday; כה is equivalent to 25, since numericallyכ  is 20 and ה is 5; חודש = month; כסליו = Kislev]. Line 10 records the year of Motta's death, "שנת הֹוֹשֹלֹםֹ ליצירה" can be translated "In the year of creation 5376" [שנת=year; הֹוֹשֹלֹםֹ corresponds to the Hebrew year 5376- numerically the letter ו is 6, ש is 300, ל is 30, ם is 40 and the first ה is for 5000 and together they add to 5376; יצירה=creation]. Note that, David Sassoon inserts the Gregorian year 1615, whereas Bar Giora has 1621 instead, and Jacob haCohen misses the Hebrew word "שנת" for "year" . The last line (11) of the epitaph has two acronyms, "תנצבה"-an abbreviation commonly added at the end of a Jewish tombstone inscription; and "זיעא"-an honorific title given to a holy and righteous man, usually a Rabbi. Thus, תנצבה is the abbreviation for "תהא נפשו/ה צרורה בצרור החיים" ("May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life"), paraphrased from I Samuel 25:29; and "זיעא" is an acronym for "זכותו יגן עלינו אמן" ("May his memory/merit be a shield unto us, Amen"). See that the final letter "א" for Amen is missing in Jacob haCohen's inscription, whereas the original inscription in the tomb retains the letter.

The English translation of the inscription that is widely quoted by many of the contemporary authors first appeared in the travelogue by Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz, 'Far East Mission' (1952, p. 125-126). The translation got the Hebrew year of Motta's death wrong, instead of 5376 Rabinowitz mistakenly added 5736 which is equivalent to 1975! However, he has the Gregorian year, 1615 recorded correctly. Unfortunately, the mistake was incorporated into many of the later scholarship including works from Prem Doss Swamy Doss Yehudi (1990), Nathan Katz and Ellen S. Goldberg (1993) etc.

"Here rest the remains of

The famous Cabbalist,

The influence of the light of whose learning

Shines throughout the country,

The perfect sage, the Chassid, and

God-fearing Nehemiah, the son of

The dear Rabbi and Sage Abraham Mota

Our Master departed this life on

Sunday, the 25th of Kislev, 5736 (1615)

May his soul rest in peace".

(Louis Rabinowitz, 1952)

The other translation which is more refined is from a Paradesi Jewish leader, Late Isaac (Samuel?) Hallegua. The translation is noted in the blog "Jews of Cochin", but the source details are not provided. There is a nice article about Nehemiah Motta in this blog and I have included the link below. In Hallegua's version, the Hebrew year is correctly mentioned, but he postpones the date from 25th of Kislev to 28th of Kislev. 

"He shines everywhere in the Jewish Dispersion

(He is) the perfect wise man

(And) the righteous person of divinity

(He is) the Rav and teacher.

Nehemia, son of the Rav and teacher, the wise and beloved

Abraham Muta (old person) of blessed and saintly memory

And he passed on his life to the (late) Rabbanim (expired)

On Sunday 28th of the month of Kislev

In the year of creation 5376 (1616 AD)"

(Isaac Hallegua-see this blog entry for more details)

The earliest date for Motta's death is perhaps given in the Jewish Virtual Library's translation, which is essentially the same as the one written by Rabinowitz, except for the Hebrew year, 5376 which corresponds to 1575. For the Gregorian date, most translations would agree with 1615 (eg. Louis Rabinowitz) or 1616 (eg. David Sassoon), the latest is 1621 (eg. Bar Giora), but not beyond that. Nehemiah Motta's death anniversary is always celebrated on the first day of Hanukkah, which the 25th of Kislev, hence Hallegua's 28th of Kislev is unlikely. If at all there is anything that every translations agree on the date, it would be the day of the week, i.e. Sunday. Since the day (25th), the week (Sunday), the month (Kislev) and the year (5336) according to the Hebrew calendar is well established, the Gregorian equivalence can finally settle whether he died on 1615 or 1616. To conclude, Nehemiah Motta passed away on a Wednesday, on December the 16th, 1615 AD. 

The date of his birth is unknown, although the wikipedia articles share two independent dates, viz. 1555 and 1570s, the source however  is not cited. If we accept the later date, Motta must have died around the age of 45, supporting the tradition quoted by Marcia Walerstein (2006). The year of his death "הֹוֹשֹלֹםֹ" has a Kabalistic (Jewish Mysticism) significance, it has the same numerical value (376) as "שלום" or peace, if I understand correctly, that is another way to say Motta joined his ancestors in death in a complete ("שלם") and  harmonious way or literally "year was completed for creation". It's an amazing coincidence that "הֹוֹשֹלֹםֹ" is also the same year the famous inscription of Parur synagogue was written by Eliyahu Ben Moses Adeni (d. 1631), another famous Hebrew poet, contemporary to Motta in Cochin and a native of Yemen.

IV) Legends and Rituals associated with Nehemiah Motta

The historic Nehemiah Motta was a Biblical scholar, a Rabbi and a poet, who was well respected for his wisdom and righteousness, but sometime after his death, we don’t know when, he attained the status of a saint, a mediator with God, and a powerful source of miracles. Rituals involving making pilgrimage to his grave site, festive celebration of his death anniversary and taking vows in his name became an integral part of the cultural traditions of the community. In due course, legends and myths were slowly built around his life, and he was evolved into a patron saint for the Malabari Jews, and a village-deity like figure for the non-Jewish neighbours. The cultic festival celebrated in memorial of Nehemiah Motta's death is called "Choruda" or Oath (in English), which is essentially a thanks giving service involving pilgrimage to his tomb and lighting candles at his grave. One of the earliest and detailed report on Choruda has appeared in Jewish Chronicle (1907) by "A Cochin Jew" (Hallegua E. I.),  it could  be worth quoting the full passage here: "There is a great deal of popular sentiment among the Black Jews which has grown up round the tomb of the said Nehemiah Abram Motha, that may be of some interest to the reader. He was a Yemen Jew, who came to Cochin about the end of the sixteenth century, married a Black Jewess, and died, in 1615, on the first day of the Feast of the Dedication. The superstitious belief in his abilities in the hidden lore, קבלה and his simple  habits earned for Nehemiah the name of a saint, and the Black Jews the observe his anniversary as a הלולא on a small scale. The memory of the "saint' has been growing in importance since, and at the present day, should a Black Jew fall seriously ill, he vows that on his recovery he will feed the members of his community on that anniversary day. There are special members in each of the communities of the Black Jews who undertake to feed their community on Nehemiah's day or הלולא every year. After the morning prayer on the day of his anniversary, the Black Jews of Cochin pay a visit to his tomb in the cemetery situated west of the Southern quarter of Jews' Town, where they repeat השכבה and קדיש, and proceed to partake of the feast which generally ends with a second השכבה. This Nehemiah Motha was the contemporary of R. Castro, and it was probably Nehemiah who put to the Rabbi the question (שאלה) which reference was made in the first article".

The supernatural elements associated with his personality and the ritualistic traditions related to his memorial are studied extensively from sociological and anthropological angles, and are published in the scholarly works of Barbara C. Johnson (1985), Segal J. B. (1993), Nathan Katz (2000), Ginu Zachariah Oommen (2006), and Marcia Walerstein (2006). To have a full discussion would be beyond the scope of this blog entry, but I would like to briefly address: 1) the legends and myths, 2) miracles and cures, 3) and the rituals and ceremonies, that are unique to the cult of Nehemiah Motta as reported in these publications.

Legends and Myths

1) He could fly through air to get back in time for Shabbat (BCJ, SJB)

2) His tomb is cold all the time of the year even at the extreme summer of Kerala (MW)

3) A person who desecrated his tomb was paralysed and struck dead on the spot (BCJ and MW)

Miracles and Cures

1) Cure for the sterility of women, a help from danger (SJB)

2) Patron of pregnant women and infants, help for the safe birth of a child, cure for illness, and solution for personal and family needs (BCJ and MW)

3) Source of help at the time of crisis involving health issues, employment opportunities, long journey and the recovery of items like jewellery when stolen from households (NK)

Rituals and Ceremonies

1) Communal Hillula (festivity), recitation of the Haskaveh (prayer of dead), the Kaddish (memorial prayer) and the annual banquet on the 25^th Kislev, his death anniversary (SJB)

2) Light candles at his grave or white wash his tomb in fulfilment of vows (BCJ, GZO and MW)

3) Food (chicken, rice, pancakes etc.) supplied in quantities of 21 on his memorial day (GZO, MW)

V) Why was the tomb of Nehemiah Motta not destroyed?

We have seen earlier the fate of the Malabari Jewish cemetery. Today, Chakkamadom colony stands on the site of the cemetery, all the graves were destroyed and the tombstones were removed. The old name of the site, "Palli Parambu" and a nearby street "Kallarakka Parambu" are hints for the existence of the lost cemetery. Only the tomb of Nehemiah Motta was not touched and many wonder why? Multiple reasons are heard and it's interesting to note that some of them involve divine interventions. The following are some of the commonly suggested reasons:

1) When people tried to raze the grave, a great fire broke out and the earth shook.

2) A tractor was brought to dismantle the tomb, but they did not succeed, so multiple tractors were arranged and the result was the same.

3) The landowner who sold the plot, made a pact with the purchaser not to destroy the tomb, but strengthen it with time.

4) Motta is not a Jewish saint alone, he is a multi-religious saint, revered by people of all faith. 

It is highly plausible that, the sanctity associated with Motta was the main factor behind the tomb's preservation. For the Malabari Jewish community of Cochin, the tomb is a marker of the old cemetery where their ancestors were buried. The non-Jewish neighbourhood take him as their own saint and are happy to conserve the tourist spot visited by many. One of the resident in the area told me that the current owner of the house staying  behind the tomb had intentions to incorporate the monument to his property, but since the grave is not part of a private land he cannot.

VI) The antiquity of the tomb of Nehemiah Motta

The citation in the 1906 edition of 'Jewish Encyclopedia' of a 'False Messiah from Cochin in 1615', is considered, the earliest English reference to Nehemiah Motta. The first Hebrew reference to the inscription is perhaps recorded by Hayyim Jacob haCohen Feinstein in his 'Mashbit Milhamot' (1889, p. 154, originally published in 1874). Several songs published in the early literary works of Cochin Jews, 'Hupath haThaneem' (Wedding Canopy Prayers) and 'Shingly Machazhor' (Shingly Prayer Book) are attributed to him, these were said to be compiled in the 1690s (Prem Doss Swamy Doss Yehudi [1990], p. 133). If I am informed correctly, 'Even Sapir' (published in 2 Volumes in 1866 and 1874), the travelogue (in Hebrew) of Rabbi Jacob haLevi Sapir who visited Cochin in 1860 also cites Motta. The tomb of Nehemiah Motta is dated from 1615, and perhaps it is the oldest surviving Jewish grave in Cochin. For more than 400 years a Jewish saint's grave existed in Cochin, and the earliest reference made to his tomb is in the late 19th century. Why is there a silence about the tomb for such a long period is intriguing. How could this large ornate grave monument go unnoticed is a  mystery considering the fact that from 16th century onward, many western explorers took great interest in studying about the Jews of Cochin and eagerly reported about their antiquities. Was it because Nehemiah Motta was a Malabari saint and the European visitors usually heard the Paradesi versions. May be the monument was modified to the current form only sometime later, and the original structure was more humble in appearance. When you examine the inscription closely, you would notice that the Hebrew letters protrude out of the stone rather than engraved into it as seen in other tombstone or synagogue inscriptions of Kerala. Ophira Gamliel (2018) compares the Parur synagogue inscription engraved in the same year, and based on the different scribal style she assumes that the tomb inscription postdates the actual date of burial, perhaps by more than a century.

VII) Is the tomb of Nehemiah Motta the oldest existing Jewish grave monument in Cochin?

Some of the oldest Jewish tombstones reported from Cochin are:

1) Leah, daughter of Moses Belila (d. 1540)-by Naftali Bar Giora (1958, p. 226) and Segal J. B. (1993, p. 31)
2) Isaac bar Abraham (d. 1571)-by Naftali Bar Giora (1958, p. 226)

3) Sarah, daughter of Moses Salah (d.1581)-by  Hallegua I E (1906, p. 31)

4) Rabbi Moses Alegoa/Hallegua (d.1666)-by James Julian Cotton, (1946, p. 190-The first edition of his work appeared in 1905)

5) Haim Hallel Shem Tov (d. 1690)-https://www.shazar.org.il/
6) David bar Haim Castiel (d. 1706)-James Julian Cotton, (1946, p. 190)

The tombstones 1 to 4 are from the two previous Jewish cemeteries in Mattancherry. Tombstone 1, the oldest (d. 1540) is reported by Naftali Bar Giora to be from an old cemetery near the Paradesi graveyard, which is the extinct Jewish cemetery near the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue of Mattancherry. The Tombstones 2, 3 and 4 are from the cemetery near the Thekkumbhagom synagogue of Mattancherry (also extinct). The 5th and 6th tombstones were preserved in the Paradesi synagogue premises. The tombstone 6 was reported by James Julian Cotton (1905) to be "kept in the lumber godown just outside the White Jews Synagogue", i.e. the courtyard of the Paradesi synagogue. I have discussed about all these tombstones in detail in an earlier post here. Although, the Malabari Jewish community in Cochin (1344) and Ernakulam (1200) predates the Paradesi community (1568), and their cemetery is also older (Ruby Daniel [2001, p. 147] dates the Malabari cemetery of Cochin, 700 years old)-no tombstones from the early period are preserved. It is interesting to note here that Naftali Bar Giora's reference to the oldest tombstone in Cochin is that of a Paradesi woman (Leah Moses Belila, d. 1540) buried in a cemetery generally considered to be used exclusively by the Malabari community.  The Jerusalem based 'The Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History' has catalogued 46 tombstones from the outer courtyard of the Paradesi synagogue-the oldest is in the name of Haim Hallel Shem Tov (d. 1690) followed by David ben Haim Castiel (d.1706, noted also by James Julian Cotton), but only two tombstones are included from the Malabari cemetery of Cochin, dated 1829 and 1830, respectively. David Sassoon in "Ohel Dawid" (1932, Vol 2, pp. 966-977) mentions about a manuscript (catalogued 974) by Hayeem Jacob Kohen b. Judah Dob (author of 'Mashbit Milhamot') containing details of the copies of tombstone inscriptions from Cochin including the tombstone of Nehemiah Motta's contemporary in Cochin, the Hebrew poet, Elijah b. Moses 'Adeni-dated Friday, 27 Tishri 5392 (=1631). It would be interesting to see if this treatise has details of other older tombstones. We don't know the current status of the tombstones of Leah Moses Belila (d. 1540), Isaac bar Abraham (d. 1571) and Sarah Moses Salah (d. 1581). The tombstones in the courtyard of the Paradesi synagogue are recently moved to the closed Paradesi cemetery and to examine them is beyond my capacity now. When Segal J. B. (1993) uses his information basically from Naftali Bar Giora's reports, and writes emphatically in 'A History of the Jews of Cochin' (p. 31): "the oldest tombstone still surviving in the four cemeteries of Cochin is that of Leah daughter of Moses Belila who died in 1540", it is not clear if he has seen the tombstone in person. Therefore, unless there is evidence for the current existence of these tombstones, we might conclude that the grave of Nehemiah Motta could be the oldest surviving Jewish tomb in Cochin. Meanwhile, attempts are made to recover the old tombstones from the site of the extinct Malabari cemetery, and let's hope these recent efforts will come up with valuable historical information (see here).

VIII) Nehemiah Motta and Israel

Ruby Daniel (2001, p. 146) remembered: "The Jews from Kadavumbagam and Tekkumbagam (of Mattancherry) celebrate his (Nehemiah Motta's) death anniversary on that day (first day of Hanukkah) with a large Feast, at the expense of the synagogue or at the expense of someone who made a vow". In Kerala, Motta's popularity was not confined to the Malabari Jews of Cochin alone. The Parur Jews, for instance used to celebrate his death anniversary in the courtyard of their synagogue (Marcia Walesrstein, 2006). However, after most of the Jews migrated to Israel, his memory began to fade in Kerala, although Jews would occasionally pay a visit to his tomb from Israel and abroad. In Israel today, the Cochin community has taken efforts to preserve his name by celebrating the Memorial Day on every year at the first day of Hanukkah. Nevertheless, this was not the case until mid-1970s, the Malabari Jews feared that celebrating Choruda (cultic festival of Nehemiah Motta) would socially marginalize them by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel who viewed many of the eastern Jewish customs with much suspicion. It was only after the Yom Kippur War (1973) when Cochini youngsters lost their lives and many were wounded, people were under fear and they revived the Choruda festival (Ginu Zacharia Oommen, 2006). There were even attempts to bring the tomb of Nehemiah Motta to Israel (Marcia Walerstein, 2006). On the other hand, once the Jews born in Kerala pass away, we don't know if Choruda will be celebrated with the same fervour, the Israeli-born new generation is relatively less attached to India and many do not even speak Malayalam. Today, there is a synagogue and a street in Israel named after Nehemiah Motta. In 2010, the Jews from Chendamangalam established the "Nehemiah Motta Synagogue" in Moshav Givat Koach, not far from the Tel Aviv. In the Facebook page of the synagogue in Givat Koach there is even a photograph of the replica of the tomb (see here). The Rabbi Nehemiah Mota Street is located in the city of Rishon  leZion, 8 km south of Tel Aviv.

 Rabbi Nehemiah Mota Street, Rishon leZion, Israel (courtesy, cochin.co.il)

IX) Old photographs of the tomb of Nehemiah Motta

The oldest photograph of the tomb of Nehemiah Motta that I could procure is the one that appeared in "Far East Mission" (1952) by Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz. As you can observe from this unique black and white photo taken around seven decades ago, the whole structure of the grave and the epitaph have not changed at all, the concrete cross beams erected in front of the tomb are the only addition that has been done later. The tomb appears nicely white-washed and well preserved, but compare the background of this photograph with the latest photos and you will realize how big a transformation has happened in the region, all the thick vegetation behind the grave site has disappeared and modern concrete buildings have filled up the new place. The most striking feature in this photo is however the tomb visible in the lower right corner (1) and it is an impressive one too according to the Cochin standards. Similarly, behind the grave of Nehemiah Motta on the left end is another tomb (2); and if the small structure (3) protruding to the foreground (lower end of the photo) is part of a grave, we have three Malabari Jewish tombs captured in a photograph. I am yet to come across a picture of the Malabari Jewish cemetery of Mattancherry before it was destroyed unless the photograph included previously in the blog here is indeed from the site. 

Tomb of Nehemiah Motta (1952)

The next photograph appeared in the reprint version of a Hebrew book on the history of Malabari Jews. The first edition of "Kadmoniyoth Ayehudim BeMalabar" (The Antiquities of the Jews of Malabar) by Samuel Raffalovich was published in 1901. In 1966, Eliah ben Eliahu, a journalist and former Ernakulam Jew who moved to Israel re-published Raffalovich's work, in the cover page he included a photograph of the tomb of Nehemiah Motta. The photograph was added by the publisher and I believe it was taken sometime in the 1960s, since we don't see the tomb from the Rabinowitz's picture in the foreground, it is safe to assume that it was not captured before 1952. The tomb doesn't appear tidy as in the picture taken by Rabinowitz, and it seems a house has been built behind (1). The double columns with prominent capitals bordering the epitaph is clearly visible (2), a feature not distinct anymore now.

When I searched the details of the cover photo in the title page there was an interesting quote from the publisher in the form of a formal appeal: "The tomb of Rabbi Namia Mohta, in Cochin. Where non-Jews worship, who can help us to bring his remanent to Israel." Eliah ben Eliahu (1929-2016) was a writer and publisher whose efforts have made possible the re-publication of several important works related to Cochin Jewish history that was out of print. His works such as 'Synagogues in India /1978' and 'Cochin Jewish records from State Archives/1971' are valuable resources for serious researchers in the field. He has also published a book on Motta, "Namaya Motta: The Patron of Malabarees" (1997). A similar attempt to bring the tomb was also attributed to an emissary from Israel who played a role in the immigration of Cochin Jews to the Holy Land (Marcia Walerstein, 2006).

Tomb of Nehemiah Motta (1966?). The title of the book is given in Hebrew.

The following colour photograph was taken by Marcia Walerstein in 1980 and it is published in the photo archives (No: 1347) of Beth Hatfutsot Museum in Tel Aviv (see here). It is perhaps the oldest colour picture of the tomb available. The structure and the external appearance of the tomb looks identical to the photograph from 1952, but the background has significant alteration, the other tombs have disappeared and two thatched village huts are constructed behind the monument.

Tomb of Nehemiah Motta (1980)

X) Ritual of Whitewashing the Tomb of Nehemiah Motta

Photos-December 2016

The Jewish monuments in Kerala remain essentially the same or rather worse in their external appearance unless it is preserved by the Government, because there are not many Jews left to take care of their heritage, you wouldn't be surprised to see the indifference while returning even after a long gap. The tomb of Nehemiah Motta is perhaps an exception, every time I visited the site, the grave appeared freshly painted in different bright and light shades. This is mainly due to the tradition still held by Motta's followers that include cleaning and painting of the tomb in fulfilment of certain personal vows. Some say that a local Christian family is paid in advance by the Jewish community in Israel to take care of the tomb. I am hereby attaching photographs taken during different periods of my visit.

October, 2019

March 2017

December 2016

 July 2015

January 2011

XI) The beautifully carved crown on the tombstone

December 2016

XII) Rear views of the tomb of Nehemiah Motta 

See my earlier posts for more photographs (here and here) and the previous blog entry here. Though the photographs are from 2011, the structure of the tomb is the same. The back side of the tomb is rarely photographed, so I have included these photos. You can see the triple-pillared corners and a double-pillared middle region. The front side of the tomb with the epitaph was originally flanked by double pillars, but now the distinction is not clear.

All the photographs taken on October 14, 2019

Next time when you visit the Jew Town in Mattancherry, do find some time to spend near the tomb of Nehemiah Motta. Remember you might be standing before the oldest Jewish grave in Cochin, belonging to a special person, a righteous man, a mystic and a poet revered by Christians, Muslims and Hindus.

References

1) Barbara C. Johnson (1985)-Our Community in Two Worlds (PhD Thesis, pp.184, 213-214)

2) David Solomon Sassoon (1932, Vol 1)-Ohel Dawid, p. 547
3) David Solomon Sassoon (1932, Vol 2)-Ohel Dawid, pp. 966-977

4) Ginu Zacharia Oommen (2006)-The integration of Cochin Jews into Israeli society (PhD Thesis, pp. 28-29, 163-166)

5) Hayyim Jacob haCohen Feinstein (1889)-in Imre Shabhat, Mashbit Milhamot (Hebrew), p. 154

6) Hallegua, I. E. (1906)- Malabar Jews II, Jewish Chronicle, October 19, p. 31
7) Hallegua, I. E. (1907)- Malabar Jews III, Jewish Chronicle, April 05, p. 24

8) Israel Davidson (2012 reprint)-Ozar haShira v'haPiyyuth/Thesaurus of Medieval Hebrew Poetry (Hebrew), Volume 3: pp. 200, 202, 205, 208, 225; Volume 4: p. 452

9) James Julian Cotton (1946, Vol 2, Revised Edition)-List of Inscriptions on Tombs or Monuments in Madras, p.190

10) Louis Rabinowitz (1952)-Far East Mission, pp. 125-126

11) Marcia Walerstein (2006)-Namya Motta, Tapasam, Vol 1(3): 535-547

12) Naftali Bar-Giora (1953)-Ma'aseh B'Hodu (Hebrew), p. 27

13) Naftali Bar-Giora (1958)-Le Toledot Battei haKnesset be Cochin (Hebrew)/A Note on the History of the Synagogues in  Cochin, Sefunot-II, 226

14) Nathan Katz (2000)-Who are the Jews of India?, pp. 53-55

15) Nathan Katz and Ellen S. Goldberg (1993)-The Last Jews of Cochin, pp. 103-108

16) Nathan Katz and Ellen S. Goldberg (2005)-Kashrut, Caste and Kabbalah, p.51

17) Ophira Gamliel (2018)-Textual crossroads and transregional encounters. Social Orbit, 4(1): pp. 41-73
18) Prem Doss Swami Doss Yehudi (1990)-The Shingly Hebrews, pp. 131, 133

19) Ruby Daniel and Barbara C. Johnson (2001)-Ruby of Cochin, pp. 146-147

20) Segal, J. B. (1993)-A History of the Jews of Cochin, pp. 23-28, 31

21) Simon A. I. (1947)- The Songs of the Jews of Cochin and their Historical Significance, p. 14